I looked over some of our numbers from the SuperJobs Center today and I am very happy with the work being done there. Our employees are to be commended for their outstanding work.

You will recall that we took over operation of the SuperJobs Center in July 2012. After Workforce Investment Act funds were cut by 45 percent in 2012, the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County sought a more efficient provider to run the SuperJobs Center. Hamilton County Job and Family Services was selected and given the mandate of spending $500,000 less on administrative costs, instead using that money for direct services to benefit local workers and businesses.

Several other goals were laid out at the time, with an eye toward improving the local workforce and fostering economic development. The agency has met or exceeded all of those goals:

Increase spending on direct services to consumers by $500,000 to a total $1,330,000.Spending on direct services has increased to $1,732,789. The increases have been in two categories: $1,531,172 on additional training and subsidies and an additional $201,617 on transportation and work supports.

Enroll 750 individuals in WIA. 1,631 people were enrolled in the first year under HCJFS. (Arbor enrolled 664 individuals in the prior year.)

Provide training and wage subsidies to 200 individuals. 478 people received training and wage subsidies in the first year. (Arbor served 140 individuals in the prior year.)

Help 450 individuals find employment. 665 of those the agency provided with in depth services managed to find employment in the first year. (In the previous year, Arbor helped 422 find employment.)

Serve 200 employers more than once. 302 employers were served repeatedly in the first year. (In the previous year, Arbor served 219 employers.)

Meet or exceed state and federal performance measures. In the last report, SuperJobs met four state measures and exceeded two. Four of the six increased relative to the prior quarter. Five of the six increased compare to one year prior.

Please remember our office is not only closed on Thanksgiving Day, but also the day after. If you have business to conduct, we are open during normal business hours today and tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I have much to be thankful for, not only this time of year, but all year. Every day on this job exposes me to a number of people whose lives have been turned upside down in some way, perhaps through the ugliness of child abuse or the randomness of a job layoff. It puts life into perspective.

After a short break, the SuperJobs Center has reopened and is back to helping match local employers with skilled workers who want employment.

On July 1, JFS staff officially took over operation of the SuperJobs one-stop employment center from a private vendor. The center was closed for a week as we made changes and got up to speed, but it is now business as normal.

The SuperJobs Center, 1916 Central Parkway, is a valuable local service that brings together services for job seekers and employers under one roof. It is a one-stop center where job seekers receive job training, career coaching and job leads, while employers can post jobs, have applicants screened and obtain funds to train potential new employees. More than 25,000 job seekers were served in 2011.

JFS, which has always had a really close relationship with SuperJobs, was chosen by the Southwest Ohio Regional Workforce Investment Board to operate the center with an eye toward cutting $500,000 in administrative costs.

Many local residents are unaware of the role the center plays in the area’s economy. Some employers, such as Children’s Hospital Medical Center, rely heavily on SuperJobs to help fill key vacancies. And when a company such as Avon or Jim Beam must shut down part or all of its operations, SuperJobs helps transition, re-train and find employment for dislocated workers.

Our plan is to make the center even more of a go-to source for area employers looking for trained workers. We intend to play a key role in getting this community’s economy rolling again. We will reinvest saved administrative dollars into tangible services such as funding for training and education.

We see first hand every day the results of unemployment. One in six people in this county now turns to us for help meeting their daily needs.

While providing a helping hand, we also help people find their way back to work.

Ohio has a unique partnership with Monster.com that gives employers free access to millions of resumes within a 50-mile radius of the state. Job seekers get access to more than 60,000 job openings.

Access to the Monster resume database normally costs $10,000 a year, but through Ohio Means Jobs, Ohio employers get that service for free. Ohio developed – and became the first state in the nation to adopt – this groundbreaking model of public-private collaboration. Best of all, Ohio Means Jobs is entirely self-serve: Both employers and job seekers can access it from any Web-connected computer.

I know sometimes people who are out of work because of the economy struggle with where to turn to for help. The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services plays an important part in the social service safety net, serving thousands of people each day. We are also connected to other organizations that help. We put together a simple e-book listing some of the resources and how to access them. Check it out.